So the jacobs ladder thread made my mind up where to ride this weekend, will be starting in hayfield, roych clough, rushup edge, mam tor, jacobs ladder. In the past I've gone straight down caldwell clough but want to head up to kinder res, whats the best route?
Was thinking of turning right after oaken clough, drop down to the res,steep climb out the other side then drop down snake path. Is that the best route or is the drop that passes spray house farm better?
Snake path
Spray house
or another suggestion?

Snake Path for me, love the fast swoopy run over the fields, you just need some friendly walkers to hold open the gates for you!

Noo, the track that runs across Middle Moor from the Shooting Cabin, the one past Spray House Farm – never seen it – is a classic and riding really well at the moment. Only downside is that it comes out on the Glossop-Hayfield road, but then you can turn right, short road climb, left onto Monk's Road then back over Lantern Pike and down to Hayfield that way. The other descent is okay, but nowhere near as good and less technical with it. Oh, and four gates to go through which screws the flow, whereas the other way has… none until the end.

Oh, and if you decide to ride up the permissive footpath, be aware that the farmer has a reputation for being a tad stroppy :-/

BWD do you mean
up here
down here
?

Are you sure you don't want to miss Mam Tor and waz down Chapel Gate?

Noo, the track that runs across Middle Moor from the Shooting Cabin, the one past Spray House Farm – never seen it – is a classic and riding really well at the moment.

Totally agree. I often think that in all my time mountian biking this is the one track I'd like to take to a desert island with me. It's the best. Make sure to ride the ford at the bottom.

Are you sure you don't want to miss Mam Tor and waz down Chapel Gate?

That'd be a big mistake in my opinion! The descent of Mam Tor to Edale is another classic! Chapel Gate is just fast and average (apart from the top peaty bit which is great).

As you reach the summit of Edale Cross (after the Ladder climb), head downhill then fork R onto a FP.
HERE
It meets up with the BW after a few hundred metres and bends R around Kinderlow End and down through Broad Clough. Lovely descent, fast and grassy. This brings you out at a road then straight over that and a final steep bit to Kinder Res. Up the cobbled climb, sharp L up to the gate then up to the Shooting Cabins.

The descents you've marked are in front of you – the one via Twenty Trees (what you've called Snake Path) is a BWD says spoiled by several gates. Fork R and go over the little wooden bridge and that's the Shooting Cabins descent (Spray House) which is ace. Out onto the road, L then R, climb all the way up the road to a farm and a gate with a fingerpost marker HERE then finish by going over Lantern Pike.
If it's quiet there's a few very good cheeky FP bits you can mix in with the Lantern Pike stuff… So I'm told…

Noo, the track that runs across Middle Moor from the Shooting Cabin, the one past Spray House Farm – never seen it – is a classic and riding really well at the moment.

Totally agree. I often think that in all my time mountian biking this is the one track I'd like to take to a desert island with me. It's the best. Make sure to ride the ford at the bottom.

That's thirded by me – one of my favourite bits of trail anywhere

Stay off my trail 😉

Seriously though, the Shooting Cabin track is lovely – rubbly and gritty in the winter, then smooths out as it dries and turns into a flowing mix of smooth moorland singletrack in miniature and fast, loose, Peak rubble-gardens. There's also a slightly tricky ford at the bottom of a set of steps and when the heather's out, it's like floating through a sea of swooning purple. And the views are lovely, across to Kinder at the start – pop round the corner and you can see the Downfall – then distant views of urban wastelands across the hills further on. Great ridden fast, great ridden slow and steady and smooth. And beautiful under a fluffy duvet of fresh snow.

😛

I fell into the heather there on Wednesday – was glad of the soft landing compared to my fall onto rock at CYB on Sunday

Shooting Cabin track is ace Dave. Take that, the other is just a fast steep blast through fields with gates getting in the way.

As you reach the summit of Edale Cross (after the Ladder climb), head downhill then fork R onto a FP.

Come on, it's a pretty sensitive area and there's absolutely no need to cut the corner on a FP, just carry on down to the bridleway. You still get a fast rocky descent, plus a bit of nice singletrack across the moor.

Are you sure you don't want to miss Mam Tor and waz down Chapel Gate?

I've done it a couple of times and not overly impressed TBH but I do like mam tor, pity it's over so soon (hollins cross to harden clough).

Spray house it is then ta for the info everyone, will take a vote on lantern pike detour when we get there, 1 or 2 of us may be pushed for time.

any chance of some one marking this up on an internet map or something?

its only over the hill from me and you guys are making it sound good

Here podge, just the basic loop I haven't included BWDs detour up lantern pike

Nice but I like the Chapel Gate descent too

Whats with all the non-love for Chapel Gate? Are you sure you're riding the right descent? Maybe if you ride down the grass to the side of the mess of rocks it would be fast a dull, but if you get stuck into the rock it's awesome. Mind you I don't remember there being any peat to ride through from the top either.

D0NK, cheers for that. I've done a couple of rides over that way but need to explore more

went on this ride missed the thread entirely.

some rather brutal climbs involved but worth the effort

I've done it a couple of times and not overly impressed TBH but I do like mam tor, pity it's over so soon (hollins cross to harden clough).

i don't understand your logic here. harden clough-hollins cross is a great climb but i don't think it's anywhere near as good a descent as chapel gate. i must admit i've never descended from hollins over that side but the first section (rocks with a couple of drainage ditches) would be like descending on a lino covered kitchen floor compared to the boulderfield that is chapel gate. and the second half, the singletrack, is basically straight.

Chapel Gate is alright, I just prefer rushup and hollins cross and if you like boulder fields that's covered by oaken clough later on, proper rocky. As BWD said the last descent is really good (might not be in the wet) and with the heather in full bloom at the moment it's nice on the eyes too.

Edit: With all the comments on here i might go back and give CG another go, but you're spoilt for choice with downs from there, dirtlow/pindale is also fun, peveril castle is pretty cool but not for the faint hearted (and you can include pindale too) Been meaning to try out the ones from mam tor and hollins cross down to castleton too.

count me in then and will be on time next time 😳

D0NK – where is oaken clough?

did the bridleway off hollins to castleton a couple of weeks ago. top half was fast & grassy – not the most interesting, but it turned into a deep gulley towards the bottom with lots of rocks and roots. not sure if this section was a fp or bdw – twas dark!

must have been this one http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=413981&y=384434&z=115&sv=413981,384434&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=669&ax=413981&ay=384434&lm=0

this is oaken clough, it's the drop over the other side after climbing jacobs ladder. Not in my downhill top ten, I like rocky stuff (walna scar and high parkamoor are some of my faves) but I don't find oaken much fun. Must be the wrong sort of rocks 🙂